Keeping Up With All the Updates: July

By Souraya El-Chidiac | 31 July, 2016

Missed out on all the social media updates in July? Here’s what happened on the social front.

OK FACEBOOK?

Facebook is testing an AI-powered tool that instantly translates a post as it is being written up. This option lets you select multiple languages to translate to as you type up the original post. It is a very effective tool for brands who publish bilingually or more as it does the job for them on the spot. However, for anyone who has ever dealt with Google translate, we know that the translation is never 100% accurate. That said, this new tool will not necessarily facilitate things for the social media handlers as double checking is still required. Also, Facebook messenger has finally rolled out the option to switch accounts, available for iOS only. Albeit, it took a while to join the trend, but that will definitely make it easier for account handlers. As any social media expert will tell you, switching account options are a gift from God. Moreover, Facebook is launching a tool that allows personal accounts to raise funds and accept donations for their charities, through the social media platform, without the need of a third party. This is interesting if brands who collaborate with charities can start using it and even more for brands looking to get funded like on Kickstarter.

TWITTER LAUNCHES DASHBOARD FOR BUSINESS

Twitter is offering a dashboard for businesses that allows them to monitor their accounts, schedule their tweets, and get analytics. Brands are always on the lookout of how to better engage with their audience, and this tool is a step closer for Twitter present brands. Moreover, scheduling did not exist on Twitter, account handler had to refer to third party tools such as Hootsuite to be able to schedule posts on Twitter. As for online monitoring, businesses can create a custom feed that contains anything they find relevant to their business so in the case that there is mention of these, they can directly engage. For example, a sports car trying to associate itself with racing and certain racers can customize their feeds for @mentions and questions about these specific subjects, or any conversation revolving around them. Furthermore, the tool offers tips for businesses on what they could share i.e a picture of their office, an event coverage, etc. This is a big step for Twitter as it is constantly trying to keep up with other social media giants.

PUT ON YOUR DIRECTOR’S HAT WITH YOUTUBE

YouTube has rolled out the ultimate app for small business owners or start-ups. Dubbed the Director app, it helps businesses create their own DIY advertisement for YouTube. It offers users a series of templates and guides them through what to say and film throughout the commercial all through their smartphones. This is very interesting for businesses who are starting out or do not want to invest in huge advertisement budgets, being able to do it on their own will allow them to allocate that budget for other priorities and help those who didn’t even have that budget. This ongoing evolution in the tech and social world is really making anything and everything possible for anyone with an idea.

GOOGLE TAKES MORE STEPS TO BECOME USERS’ ONE STOP SHOP

Google will launch an update this fall, which eases the users shopping experience. With TrueView, users on YouTube were able to shop for brands featured in the video instantly. This update elaborates on that, and focuses on fields such as travel, hotel bookings, tips and deals, cross border shopping, and product picking in TrueView. Basically, in Google search, you can now filter the way you research for hotel deals and tips by writing exactly what you are looking for, as for airfares, it is now possible to track them by receiving notifications regarding price changes of flights that interest you. Moreover, advertisers can now pick and prioritize what products appear on TrueView. This is quite interesting for travel, fashion and cosmetic brands as it makes it even easier for users to shop online, find the right product or deal for them and have a direct transaction that eliminates the process of having to conduct a long search before getting exactly what they are looking for.

That’s pretty much a wrap for everything that happened in July. We hope this post has helped update you on all the latest developments in the world of social and look forward to answering any questions you may have; just get in touch. Stay tuned for next month’s updates and stay safe while catching all those Pokémons!